Category: Timely News

diabetes uncontrolled
Signs of Uncontrolled Diabetes: When to Take Action and How to Regain Control
Posted on by Leslie Branon

38 million Americans live with diabetes. For those already diagnosed, maintaining stable blood sugar levels is one of the most important, and sometimes most challenging, parts of living well with diabetes.

When blood sugar levels stay too high for too long, it’s known as uncontrolled diabetes. This can happen for many reasons from missed medications and stress to changes in diet, illness, or lifestyle routines. Sometimes, it happens gradually and quietly. Other times, symptoms appear suddenly and signal that your body is struggling to process glucose effectively.

Uncontrolled diabetes isn’t just about elevated numbers on a glucose meter. Over time, it can affect nearly every part of the body, including your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and skin. That’s why recognizing the early warning signs and understanding when to seek care is so important. The sooner you act, the easier it is to prevent long-term complications and get back on track towards a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Why Blood Sugar Control Matters

Uncontrolled diabetes increases the risk of complications including heart disease, stroke, nerve damage, kidney disease, and vision loss. Over time, high blood sugar can affect nearly every organ system, which is why early recognition of warning signs is critical.

Common Signs of Uncontrolled Diabetes

Some symptoms are subtle, while others are more obvious. If you experience any of the following, it’s time to talk with your healthcare provider:

  • Increased thirst and frequent urination: Excess glucose in your bloodstream pulls water from tissues, leading to dehydration and more frequent bathroom trips.
  • Extreme fatigue: When your body can’t properly use glucose for energy, you may feel tired all the time.
  • Blurred vision: High blood sugar can cause the lens of your eye to swell, leading to temporary vision changes.
  • Slow-healing cuts or frequent infections: Elevated glucose impairs circulation and weakens your immune response.
  • Unexplained weight loss: Despite eating normally, your body may break down muscle and fat for energy.
  • Numbness or tingling in hands and feet: A sign of diabetic nerve damage (neuropathy).
  • Dry skin and recurrent yeast infections: Both can be related to excess sugar levels in blood and urine.

What Causes Blood Sugar to Rise?

Several factors can cause blood glucose to climb out of range, including:

  • Skipping or mismanaging medication or insulin doses
  • Eating large portions or high-carbohydrate meals
  • Stress or illness
  • Lack of physical activity
  • Hormonal changes

Monitoring your blood sugar regularly and tracking trends over time can help you and your healthcare team pinpoint what’s triggering fluctuations.

How to Get Back on Track

If you suspect your diabetes is uncontrolled, don’t panic. The key is to take action early:

  • Check your blood sugar as directed and log your readings.
  • Meet with your endocrinologist to review your blood sugar readings and adjust your medication if needed.
  • Revisit your nutrition plan and focus on balanced, portion-controlled meals.

If you’d like to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists at Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology and discover how our diabetes services and other endocrinology therapies can help you lead a full and active life, please contact us at (512) 458-8400 or request an appointment online. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and check back with us each month as we provide you with helpful wellness and health information.

Type 2 Diabetes
Prediabetes: Could It Be You? Understanding the Warning Signs and How to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
Posted on by Leslie Branon

November is National Diabetes Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about one of the most common – and preventable – health challenges in the United States. Most people associate diabetes with managing insulin, avoiding sugar, or living with type 2 diabetes, but often overlooked is the in-between stage: prediabetes.

More than 98 million American adults, or roughly 1 in 3, have prediabetes, yet over 80% of them don’t know it. That means millions of people are walking around with blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as diabetes, without realizing their future health is at risk.

Prediabetes doesn’t always come with symptoms or warning signs. You may feel perfectly healthy and still have blood sugar levels that are quietly creeping upward. The silver lining is that with early detection, lifestyle changes, and proper medical support, prediabetes can often be reversed, preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes altogether.

What Is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes occurs when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. It’s a warning sign that your body is starting to have trouble managing blood sugar effectively, and an opportunity to take action before serious complications develop.

Why Prediabetes Matters

Prediabetes doesn’t always cause symptoms, so it can progress silently for years. Without intervention, many people with prediabetes will go on to develop type 2 diabetes within five years. Once type 2 diabetes develops, the risks grow dramatically, including higher chances of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, nerve damage, and vision loss.

Even though prediabetes may feel like a “gray area,” it’s actually one of the most powerful opportunities for prevention. Taking action now can help protect your long-term health and even extend your lifespan.

Who Is at Risk?

While anyone can develop prediabetes, certain factors increase your likelihood, including:

  • Being overweight or obese
  • Having a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes
  • Being 45 years or older
  • Leading a sedentary lifestyle
  • Having high blood pressure or abnormal cholesterol levels
  • Having a history of gestational diabetes or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

If you check even one of these boxes, it’s worth getting screened. A simple blood test can tell you where you stand.

Subtle Signs to Watch Out For

Prediabetes often has no clear symptoms, which is why so many people are unaware they have it. However, some may notice:

  • Increased thirst or hunger
  • Fatigue
  • Frequent urination
  • Blurred vision

If you recognize any of these signs or have risk factors, ask your healthcare provider for a simple blood test to check your glucose levels.

How to Reduce Your Risk

The most effective way to prevent type 2 diabetes is by adopting healthy habits:

Lose a small amount of weight. If you are overweight, shedding even 5-7% of your body weight can dramatically reduce risk.

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week. That’s just 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Walking, swimming, dancing, or cycling all count.

Eat balanced meals that involve fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and whole grains. Limit sugary drinks and refined carbs.
Don’t smoke and limit alcohol intake.

Last but not lease, work with your healthcare team. Regular monitoring and preventive care can help you stay on track.

How Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology Can Help

If you’d like to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists at Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology and discover how our diabetes services and other endocrinology therapies can help you lead a full and active life, please contact us at (512) 458-8400 or request an appointment online.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and check back each month as we provide you with helpful health and wellness information.

Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology Ushers in New Year with Doctor Accolades
Posted on by Leslie Branon

Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology is proud to share that several of our physicians were recognized as Texas Monthly Super Doctors for 2024 and Austin Monthly Top Doctors for 2025.

Our hard-working team of endocrinologists and diabetes experts are honored and humbled to receive peer recognition from the medical community.

Our Texas Monthly Super Doctors for 2024 are:

Super Doctors are selected annually via an intensive review process based on peer recognition and professional achievement. 

This month, Austin Monthly recently recognized its Top Doctors for 2025, including:

Austin Monthly Top Doctors are nominated by peers in the local Austin medical community who would entrust these doctors with their care or the care of a family member. 

TD&E is committed to acting as a valuable resource for fellow physicians, and most importantly, to serving patients with personal and compassionate care and the most cutting-edge therapies available to treat common endocrinology conditions like diabetes and osteoporosis. We also offer thyroid imaging services, heart disease prevention, and weight loss management. 

A hearty congratulations to our Super Doctors and Top Doctors for their well-deserved recognition, and a very happy and healthy new year to all of our patients!

Contact Us to Help Manage your Diabetes, Osteoporosis and Thyroid Conditions 

If you’d like to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists at Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology and discover how our diabetes services  and other endocrinology therapies can help you lead a full and active life, please contact us at (512) 458-8400 or request an appointment online.  Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and check back with us each month as we provide you helpful wellness and health information.

Is it low blood sugar or anxiety ? 
Posted on by Leslie Branon

The body’s response to low blood sugar and its manifestation of anxiety are two separate things, but they are often confused and closely intertwined. 

Some common side effects that both low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and anxiety share include sweating, shakiness, irritability, fast or irregular heartbeat, and lightheadedness. 

Low blood sugar typically stems from unhealthy eating habits (consuming high glycemic foods that cause a spike and then drop down in sugars), skipped meals, or from poorly managed diabetes. At Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology, our team of board-certified endocrinology specialists are experts at treating diabetes in all its forms. 

Anxiety is a common mental disorder that can result from a combination of factors like genetics, stress or trauma, and certain medications. Anxiety can also stem from an adverse reaction the body has to its own low blood sugar. 

One of our diabetes specialists, Dr. Lucy Esteve, shares insight on how you can differentiate low blood sugar from anxiety. 

 How can you tell if the symptom is a sign of low blood sugar versus anxiety?

The only way to tell if you truly have low blood sugar is to check your blood sugar level with either a blood glucose meter and perform a fingerstick glucose check, or by wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) which measures interstitial glucose levels continuously over a period of 10 to 14 days.  

When using a glucose monitor, it is important to check this right at the time that you are experiencing symptoms. Hypoglycemia occurs when your blood sugar level drops below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) and is considered severe when the level drops below 54 mg/dL.


How should you treat those symptoms? What if you aren’t sure of the cause?

If you detect  low blood sugar at home, you should treat it by consuming fast-acting carbohydrates such as 4 ounces of juice or regular soda, hard candies, or 15 grams of glucose tablets or gel. Follow this up with a long-acting carbohydrate such as a sandwich or biscuit and recheck your blood sugar level within 15 minutes.  Repeat this process until your blood sugar level is back within normal range.

The next step is to see a medical professional (either your primary care provider or an endocrinology specialist) to determine the cause of the low blood sugar.


What could be potential causes of low blood sugar? 

A helpful indicator to determine the cause of your low blood sugar is the timing of these symptoms in relation to food.  

Reactive hypoglycemia (or postprandial hypoglycemia) typically occurs within 3 to 4 hours of eating a meal high in carbohydrates such as pasta, pizza, potatoes, rice, bread or cake.

If you are experiencing low blood sugar symptoms overnight, this is suggestive of fasting hypoglycemia which occurs when the body is unable to maintain blood glucose levels during the fasting state. This can be caused by medications, alcohol, critical illness, liver dysfunction or tumors in the pancreas known as insulinoma. 

Dr. Esteve says that “because the symptoms of low blood sugar and anxiety often overlap, it is important to see a healthcare provider to differentiate these two conditions and to determine the best course of treatment.” 

Preventing Low Blood Sugar

To help prevent low blood sugar that could contribute to bouts of anxiety, whether you are diabetic or not, follow these tips:

  • Eat healthy portions of foods that are high in protein (like chicken, fish, nuts and beans) and non-starchy vegetables like spinach and broccoli
  • Exercise often to keep blood circulating effectively throughout the body and to trigger the release of endorphins or the brain’s feel-good chemical
  • Drink alcohol in moderation or limit it altogether to avoid blood sugar spikes 
  • Take all medications as directed and commit to regular check-up appointments with your primary care physician and specialists 

Contact Us to Help Manage your Diabetes, Osteoporosis and Thyroid Conditions 

If you’d like to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists at Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology and discover how our diabetes services  and other endocrinology therapies can help you lead a full and active life, please contact us at (512) 458-8400 or request an appointment online.  

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and check back with us each month as we provide you helpful wellness and health information.

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